Descriptions of Stomatopod larvae from the Arabian Sea with a list of Stomatopod larvae and adults from the Indian Ocean and a key for their identification Part 1

Shanbhogue, S L (1975) Descriptions of Stomatopod larvae from the Arabian Sea with a list of Stomatopod larvae and adults from the Indian Ocean and a key for their identification Part 1. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 17 (2). pp. 196-238.

Abstract

Our knowledge of stomatopod larvae from the seas around India mainly stems from the extensive recent studies which have thrown important light as to the diversity of larvae
and the adults to which they belong. Taking into account the number of species known, larvae of a large number of species are yet to be identified and described from the area. With this objective in view and for a better understanding of the stomatopod larvae from this region, detailed studies were undertaken on the subject. As many as 587 plankton collections taken by R. V. "Varuna" during the cruises 1-3 and 7-22 between January 1962 and January 1963 along the west coast of India were analysed. Only larvae in the advanced stage of development were chosen and studied as they only were found to throw some light on the characteristics of adults to which they belong. The studies revealed that the collections contained larvae of 24 species of which 9 have not been described hitherto. All larvae were studied in great detail, for which measurements of body parts, descriptions and figures are given. Wherever larvae have been definitely correlated to their adults, the species names have been used. The paper also includes a check list of larvae known from Indian Ocean. All the 86 species for which larvae are known so far from the region have been listed and under each, synonymies and details of distribution have been provided. This is the first attempt to list all the species of stomatopods for which larvae are known from Indian Ocean with detailed synonymies and distributional records.